This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for grouping flat items in stacks, particularly cookies which are advanced to a grouping device in at least three mutually parallel channels. The grouping device forms mixed groups of the items such that each group contains at least one item taken from each channel.
Known arrangements for stacking flat, generally disc-shaped articles, such as cookies which are fed in parallel channels to a grouping device comprise a chute associated with each channel. The bottom of each chute is formed by a lowering finger and a reciprocating ejecting finger. The lowering finger can be vertically adjusted whereby the number of the items in the channels may be varied to ensure that each mixed group will contain an item from each channel.
The above-outlined group mixing is preferred because it is well known that cookies discharged from different locations of the baking oven have usually different thicknesses and therefore, in order to achieve packages of uniform size, the items arriving in the different channels should be mixed in each group so that each group will have the same number of items and further, each group will contain at least one item from each channel.
By virtue of the fact that the lowering fingers can be adjusted by means of a common setting member in at least two height positions, the number of items in each mixed group may be varied between wide limits.
In systems of the above-outlined type it is feasible to determine an undersupply (shortage) in any individual channel; that is, in at least one channel there may be locations which have an insufficient number of items for loading the discharge mechanism with the required number of items predetermined for the grouping device. As a result, mixed groups are obtained which do not have enough items.
In order to avoid such an occurrence, the channels are manually resupplied with items. In systems with side-by-side channels which extend over a width of more than 1 meter, two attendants are required to monitor the quantities of the items and to effect the manual resupplying.